Description:
The dawning of the millennium has seen a Western uprising in the Canadian hip-hop scene, a movement led by the guts-and-gore-obsessed Swollen Members. The Vancouver, Canada-based duo of MCs Mad Child and Prevail was awarded Best Rap Junos (the northern Grammy equivalent) in 2001 and 2002, for Balance and Bad Dreams, respectively. The first win was a shock, but the second came as no surprise at all. With a fistful of catchy radio singles and a generous dose of Swollen’s trademark cellar-dwelling fatalism, Bad Dreams confirmed that when it comes to Canadian rap, the West is indeed the best. Swollen’s latest effort, Monsters in the Closet, is a collection of rarities, remixes and spanking-new bangers. It plays like a brief history of Canada’s most popular rap outfit, from its Cali-influenced beginnings to its current electro obsession. Since adding longtime cohort Moka Only as a permanent member, the group has taken things in a more melodic, up-tempo direction, a shift most evident on the sensationally synthesized "Steppin’ Thru." "Breathe," meanwhile, is a headbanger propelled by a Berlin-by-way-of-Brooklyn electro beat and a knockout hook from fellow Canuck Nelly Furtado. Later on, the trio rides high over a reworked Sarah McLachlan vocal on the wistful "Long Way Down," a track that recalls Eminem’s successful collaboration with Dido. Beats from the street-credible Evidence and Zodak give Monsters a steady, if unspectacular, foundation, but as demonstrated on the best of this album’s joints, Swollen’s future lies in the fast lane of hip-hop’s electro renaissance. --Martin Turenne